Our (Very Detailed) Memorial Day

Three-day weekends are lovely. I am very much a fan of an extra day here and there to spend with my people. This past weekend Jordan and I intentionally didn't make any big plans. We wanted to just go where the wind took us. The only plan we did make was to have a barbecue on Monday with some delicious grilled steaks. Jordan has some mad skills when it comes to meat and the grill. I don't mind leaving the grilling up to him; he always does a great job.

Monday I woke up to my stomach grumbling. I am funny when it comes to eating in the morning: I'm usually starving by the time I wake up, no matter what time that is, so I have to eat. Jordan and I decided we'd go get doughnuts from Reams and pick up the groceries that we'd need for the day. We got what we needed and were home by 10:00am. I love early starts like this. When we got home, we put the groceries away and did a little cleaning. Jordan then took apart the fan in our living room to get the wiring figured out. When he installed it just after Christmas, the fan function wasn't working properly due to some wires that weren't connected just right, but we weren't too worried about it then because it was the dead of winter. Now that it is starting to warm up, Jordan wanted to get it working. Happily he was successful. We sat on the sofa after he had everything back together and just enjoyed the cool breeze coming in from the open back door.

It was lovely.

Lunch time rolled around and we whipped up some plain noodles. We eat a lot of those around here. Not because we are cheap, but because we love plain pasta. I could eat it until I die. No joke. After lunch Wesley took a nap at home with Jordan as Liliane and I went went to window shop at JoAnn's. As we're on our way, Liliane asked me where the craft store was. I told her it was in Spanish Fork. She got really worried and then asked, "Mom - Where's the jail?" She asked me once a long time ago where jail is and I told her Spanish Fork, and I know that when she heard Spanish Fork it rang a bell in her mind. I assured her that the jail is in Spanish Fork, but that it wasn't near the craft store. She then goes on to ask why people go to jail. I told her that people that break the law go to jail. She then rambles on about how the bad guys go to jail and then the other people have to fix it. I was confused so I asked her what she meant by "other people have to fix what?" Her answer was simple: "Well, the bad guys break the laws, so other people have to fix the laws."

I about died laughing when she told me this. Her literal understanding of this world and the things in it is so awesome. I love that she makes me see through different eyes. I love that she helps me to experience the world differently. She is awesome.

After we made our way around JoAnn's, we skipped over to the dollar store and I let Liliane pick two prizes for her and two prizes for Wesley. She chose a fun candy jewelry treat that came with a necklace, a few bracelets, and a candy ring. When we got back home she had opened up the candy ring and was putting it on her finger while saying, "With this ring, I be wed."

Seriously? Seriously. She is awesome.

When we got home from our afternoon adventure, it was time to get ready for dinner. We planned on eating early, so we got busy making deviled eggs.

I made a potato salad too, which turned out great. Jordan isn't a fan of potato salad, but I love it. Jordan's parents brought a fruit salad and strawberry shortcake. While I steamed the broccoli, Jordan worked on the steaks.

Our plates were piled pretty high with delicious food. It was nothing short of a memorial day feast. Even the kids ate great. Wesley kept asking Grandpa Gray for more chicken. We had steak, not chicken, but he kept referring to the meat as chicken. We weren't about to correct him for fear that it would hinder his momentum.

After dinner we played in the yard and visited with Jordan's parents. I had mentioned to Jordan that I wanted to go on a drive before the day was through, so we all hopped in our car and drove through Benjamin and Lakeshore on the back roads through the farm lands. Liliane kept saying that she was pretty sure we weren't in the "City" any more. Wesley kept saying that sheep said "Mooo." Both of them enjoyed seeing something different.

Liliane insisted our day wouldn't be complete without going on a hike, so to appease her we took a drive up Payson Canyon and got out to walk on the Loafer Mtn. Trail. We found some pretty fun wild flowers and neat foliage that we don't get to see everyday. ,I am in love with plants, so stopping to take pictures of the greenery on the mountain was pretty much a given. On our way back from the canyon we stopped for ice cream in Spanish Fork and then made our way home. It was a lovely way to spend our long weekend.